Doorstep-script-for-canvassers - Electoral Commission



Script for staff making personal contact by telephone

This document contains example FAQs to support staff who are making personal contact with individuals by telephone during the canvass, and key messages they can use, if needed, to explain the purpose of the telephone call.

We have also included some example telephone scripts from individual authorities in the Appendices to this document, for your reference.

Following up with canvass non-responders

| Key messages |

|I am calling you today as we / the council have |Introductory line to explain why you are calling (you may wish to include any |

|sent you correspondence in the post regarding |standard wording used by customer service staff regarding calls being recorded or |

|electoral registration but we have not had a |monitored and any data protection information as necessary). |

|response as yet | |

| |Referring to the paper correspondence could reassure the individual that it is a |

| |genuine call. |

| | |

|The form design may look unfamiliar as it is |Explaining that the form has changed and looks slightly different could help the |

|slightly different from previous years |householder to identify the form they have already received |

|This phone call is important to make sure everyone |In order to know who is eligible to register to vote, we need to know who lives at |

|in your household is registered to vote |your address. This phone call is to collect this information. |

| |The purpose of this call is to find out who currently lives at this address and, if |

| |they are not already registered, invite them to register to vote. |

| |We need to be sure that there is nobody else living at this address who may lose out|

| |if this form is not returned, including any 16 or 17 year-olds (in Scotland and |

| |Wales, also 14 or 15 year-olds). |

| |You need to provide this information by law. |

| |There is a criminal penalty for failing to provide the information required of a |

| |maximum of £1,000. |

|Providing the information requested is |It only takes a few minutes to provide the information needed, which is your full |

|straightforward |name, nationality [and in England an indication if you are aged 76 or above] I can |

| |collect the information from you now or I can call back later at a time that is more|

| |convenient [add other ways you are offering to respond to the canvass]. |

You may encounter the following questions or scenarios when contacting those who have not responded to the canvass communication:

|What will happen after I give you the |The information you provide will enable us to send a separate registration form to all the |

|information required? |people in your household who are eligible and are not yet registered. |

|The information you have is incorrect - |The purpose of the phone call is to obtain up-to-date information, so we can identify who |

|those people don’t live here anymore |currently lives at this address and, where they are not already registered, invite them to |

| |register to vote. |

| |You should tell me about any information that is no longer accurate and tell me who now |

| |lives at this address. |

|But I’ve already applied to register online,|By law, you need to provide the requested information for the household. |

|why do I have to provide this information to|The purpose of the call is to confirm who lives at this address, so electoral registration |

|you as well? |staff know if there is anybody else who needs to be invited to register. Or anyone |

| |registered who is no longer resident and may now need to be removed. |

| |We need to be sure that there is nobody else living at this address who may lose out if |

| |this information is not provided, including any 16 or 17 year-olds (in Scotland and Wales, |

| |also 14 or 15 year-olds). |

| |Anyone who is eligible and is not already registered will then be invited to register to |

| |vote. |

| |Anyone registered who is no longer resident = may now need to be removed. |

Following up with ITR non-responders

|Key messages |

|I am calling you today as we / the council |Introductory line to explain why you are calling (you may wish to include any standard |

|have sent you correspondence in the post but|wording used by customer service staff regarding calls being recorded or monitored and any |

|we have not had a response as yet |data protection information as necessary). |

| | |

| |Referring to the paper correspondence could reassure the individual that it is a genuine |

| |call. |

|It is important that you complete the |If you are not on the register, you will not be able to vote. |

|application to register, so you don’t lose |If you fail to make an application to register without providing adequate reason why not, |

|out |you may be fined £80. (This fine does not apply to 14 or 15 year-olds in Scotland and |

| |Wales.) |

| |Not being registered can also impact on applications for credit, mortgages or mobile phones|

| |since credit reference agencies use the register to validate applications. |

|Registering to vote is straightforward |Applying to register only takes a few minutes but you will need your National Insurance |

| |Number. (In Scotland and Wales, if speaking to a parent or guardian of a 14-15 year-old, |

| |note that the requirement to provide a National Insurance number does not apply to those |

| |aged 14 or 15, although 16 and 17 year-olds will be asked to provide it). |

| |If they are a non-responder: I can go through the form and register you now on the |

| |telephone, or you can go online yourself and register at .uk/register-to-vote |

You may encounter the following questions or scenarios when contacting those who have not responded to an invitation to register:

|But I already registered online! |Online registration can take a few days to process, so my list of people to call may|

| |have been prepared before your online registration was processed. |

| |You do not need to do anything else. We will contact you to either confirm your |

| |application has been successful or request more information. |

|Why do you want my National Insurance number? |These details are checked against government records to verify the person’s |

|Why do you want my date of birth? |identity. |

| |This is intended to make the system even more secure. |

|I don’t have a National Insurance number |Most people in the UK have a National Insurance number. |

| |If it’s a case of you not knowing your number, there are a number of ways to find |

| |it: you can find it on official paperwork, such as your National Insurance card, |

| |payslips or letters from the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenue & |

| |Customs (HMRC). [Students may be able to find it in their university registration |

| |details or application for student loan.] |

| |If you still can’t find it, you can use the HMRC enquiry service at |

| |.uk/lost-national-insurance-number. |

| |If you don’t have access to the internet you can call the National Insurance |

| |Registrations Helpline on 0300 200 3500 or to apply for a new national insurance |

| |number 0800 141 2075 |

| |For Welsh language enquiries, the National Insurance Registrations Helpline phone |

| |number is:0800 141 2349 |

| |Please be aware HMRC won't tell you your National Insurance number over the phone, |

| |they'll post it to you. |

| |If you do not have a National Insurance number at all, you can explain on the form |

| |why you are unable to provide it. Electoral registration staff may contact you to |

| |ask you for proof of identity. |

| |In Scotland and Wales, note that the requirement to provide a National Insurance |

| |number does not apply to electors who are aged 14 or 15. |

Electoral / open register questions

|Key messages |

|Electoral Registration Officers keep two |Using information received from the public, registration officers keep two registers – the |

|registers – an electoral register and an |electoral register and the open register (also known as the edited register). |

|open register |The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote |

| |in public elections. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only |

| |eligible people can vote. It is also used for other limited purposes specified in law, such|

| |as detecting crime (e.g. fraud), calling people for jury service and checking credit |

| |applications. |

| |The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. |

| |It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by |

| |businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. |

| |Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be |

| |removed. Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote. |

| |In Scotland and Wales, add: The details of 14 and 15 year-olds, however, will not be |

| |included in the open register. |

| |14 and 15 year-olds will be included on the electoral register, but only a very limited |

| |number of individuals will have access to the information, such as Electoral Registration |

| |Officers and their staff. Their details will also not be included on any versions of the |

| |electoral register that are published. |

| |About six weeks before an election certain people need details of everyone who can vote in |

| |that election. If a 15 year-old will turn 16 on or before the date of a Scottish |

| |Parliamentary, Senedd election or local government election, their name and address will be|

| |given to people who run the election and to candidates for electoral purposes. |

|You can decide whether your details will |You can’t request a change on the canvass form, but you can change your opt-out preference |

|appear on the open register |by making a request to the Electoral Registration Officer at the council with your full |

| |name, address and an indication of whether you wish to be included in or omitted from the |

| |open register. You can do this in writing or over the phone by calling [give relevant |

| |telephone number]. |

| |You can express your preference on an application to register or you can change your |

| |preference at any time by making a request with your full name, address and an indication |

| |of whether you wish to be included in or omitted from the edited register. You can do this |

| |in writing or over the phone by calling [give relevant telephone number]. |

| |We will write to you to confirm any change. |

| |In Scotland and Wales, note that: a person aged 14 or 15 will not be included in the open |

| |register. |

Appendix 1

Below are some example scripts which authorities have used previously for telephone canvassing. These scripts were used in pilot canvasses which were carried out prior to canvass reform. As a result they refer to forms which are no longer in use, such as the Household Enquiry Form (HEF).

If making use of these examples, you will need to update and adapt the information to reflect your local circumstances and should amend all references to HEFs to reflect the new suite of forms and voter materials.

Dumfries and Galloway

2017 Canvass Pilot Telephone Script - DRAFT

|Hi |Hello |

| |My name is xx and I’m calling from Dumfries and Galloway Council. Sorry to disturb you. |

|Establish the person |Am I speaking to _________name (if you can logically work|Can I speak to (either)_____name |

| |it out)? | |

|Establish the address|We recently sent a household enquiry form to ________________ address but to date we do not appear to have had a |

| |response. |

| |Can you confirm that you still live at this address? |

| |Yes – Move on to the next question |No – Thank you for your time |

| | |Mark as Invalid Number (do we also want to use as 1st |

| | |evidence for deletion?) |

|Establish the |Do you have two minutes for me to confirm the household information over the phone? |

|address | |

| |Yes – Move on to the next question |No – Please either go online to |

| | |dumgal |

| | |or complete and return the form you have. |

|Confirm who lives |I currently have the following people registered: |

|there | |

| |Name 1 |

| |Name 2 |

| |Etc |

| | |

| |Do these people all still live at the property? |

| |Yes – Move on to next question |No – Please confirm who has moved out? |

| | |Then review these electors on the HEF screen |

|Opt out |Option 1 – the following electors / _____ (name/s)|Option 2 – the following electors / _______ (name/s) have |

| |are currently appearing on the Open Register. |currently opted out of the Open Register. The Open Register is |

| |This means that the details may be sold on upon |the register that can be sold on upon request. Do you want to |

| |request. Do you want to opt out of the open |change your opt out preference to appear on the Open Register. |

| |register? | |

| |Any requests for opt out do on Edit Current |Any changes need to be done on the main Oasis screen, please |

| |Elector Screen |make a note and action after the call. |

|Postal vote |The following electors are currently due to vote |The following electors are currently due to vote by post. Is |

| |at the polling station for any elections. Would |this still correct? |

| |you like to be sent a postal vote application? | |

| |Any requests for postal votes do on the Edit | |

| |Current Elector Screen |Please make a note of these and email XX with details of person,|

| | |personal reference and property number. |

|Adding new people |Is there anyone else aged 16 or over living at the property? |

| |Yes – Add the new names to the property. Remember |No – Move on to next question |

| |to add their nationality too. | |

| |Please advise that those new people will need to | |

| |register individually. We will send them an | |

| |individual registration form in the coming weeks | |

| |but the easiest thing for them to do is go online | |

| |and register at .uk/register-to-vote | |

| |If you are given details of someone under 16 you | |

| |will have to advise the person you are speaking to| |

| |that you are not allowed by law to take their | |

| |details over the phone so please can they complete| |

| |the HEF return online. | |

|Finally |Please confirm that to the best of your knowledge all the information you have given is true and correct. |

| |If you have the paper form at home you do not need to return it. You can now destroy the form. |

| |Thank you for your help. Goodbye |

South Oxfordshire / Vale of White Horse District Council

Telephone Canvass 2017 - Telephone Script

|Greet |Hello/Good evening |

| | |

| |I am calling from South Oxfordshire / the Vale of White Horse District Council. Sorry to disturb you. |

|Establish the person |Am I speaking to _________name (if you can logically work it |Can I speak to (either)_____name |

| |out) | |

|Establish the address |We recently sent a yellow household enquiry form to ________________ address but to date we do not appear to have had a |

| |response. |

| | |

| |Can you confirm that you still live at this address? |

| |YES – Move on to the next question |NO - Call supervisor over |

|Confirm who lives |I currently have the following people registered: |

|there | |

| |Name 1 |

| |Name 2 |

| |Etc. |

| | |

| |Do these people all still live at the property? |

| |YES – Move on to next question |NO – Please confirm who has moved out? (you will need to delete these |

| | |residents) |

|Over 76 years old (X |Option 1 – We currently have none of the electors |Option 2 - _______ (name/s) is marked as over 76. Please confirm that |

|marker) |marked as over 76 – is this still correct? |this is correct. Is anyone else now over 76? |

|Opt out of open |All/some of the electors / _____ (name/s) are currently appearing on the Open Register. This means that the details may be sold|

|register (Z marker) |on upon request. Do you want to opt out of the open register? |

|Postal/proxy vote (T/Q|Option 1 - All electors are currently due to vote in |Option 2 - All electors are currently due to vote by post/proxy. Is this|

|or A/P marker) |person at the polling station for any elections. |still correct? |

| |Would you like to be sent a postal/proxy vote | |

| |application form? | |

|Adding new people |Is there anyone else over the age of 16 who lives at the property? |

| |YES – Add the new names to the property. Remember to |NO – Move on to next question |

| |add their nationality too. | |

| |Please advise that those new people will need to | |

| |register individually. We will send them an | |

| |individual registration form in the coming weeks but | |

| |the easiest thing for them to do and for you to tell | |

| |them is to go online and register at | |

| |.uk/register-to-vote | |

|Finally |Please confirm that to the best of your knowledge all the information you have given is true and correct. |

| | |

| |If you have the paper form at home you can now destroy the form. |

| | |

| |Thank you for your help and goodbye. |

| |THEN remember – you must then respond the HEF on the system and mark the property as responded otherwise they may receive more |

| |communication. |

Appendix 2

Below are some further examples of how other authorities approached specific elements of telephone canvassing during the canvass pilots, which you may also wish to consider in preparing your own scripts and/or when training your telephone canvassers.

Dealing with no answers

• Standard wording for an answerphone / voicemail message encouraging the resident to call back (Bromsgrove & Redditch, Luton, South & Vale, Wychavon)

• Encouraging the resident to respond online (Dumfries & Galloway, South & Vale)

Making the call personal

• Canvassers introducing themselves by name (Bromsgrove and Redditch, Dumfries & Galloway, Luton, Wychavon)

Dealing with refusals

• Canvassers offering to call the resident back at another time if more convenient (Luton)

• Canvassers being prepared for residents being unwilling to provide information over the phone, apologising for inconvenience, and setting out alternative ways of responding / information about reminders (Dumfries & Galloway, Luton)

Record keeping

• Canvassers recording brief details of their contact attempts in a standardised way on a property worksheet (South & Vale, Wychavon)

• Canvasser recording incorrect telephone numbers so that the electoral database (EMS) can be updated later (Luton)

• If appropriate, providing canvassers with instructions for inputting information directly into the EMS, for example where electors have moved out (Dumfries & Galloway, South & Vale, Wychavon)

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